Some Enchanted Evening
by celticann
Summary: Jed/Abbey; other West Wing characters; set in the past and in the future


Seven months ago, when I posted "Then He Kissed Me", some of you asked me to consider writing more Jed and Abbey, perhaps giving Jed's viewpoint of their meeting and falling in love

At the time, I didn't see myself writing such a story, but somehow, my muse decided that perhaps it could happen and that it should be combined with two other story ideas that were calling to me.

This story takes place in my "Holding Hands on the Way Down" universe but is stand-alone. Some components of this story also take place in my "Fold in Gently" alternate universe; others take place in that universe in different times and different circumstances.

The parts of this story that do not deal with "How Jed Met Abbey-- Jed's view" take place in the future and that they may be disturbing to you. I do not apologize for what my muse tells me will happen but I do feel I should give warning.

**Some Enchanted Evening**

Abbey/Jed; others

Rating Adult –

Spoilers through end of series; spoilers for "Holding Hands on the Way Down" and for "Fold in Gently"

"Some Enchanted Evening" lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein

Not mine, never were, never will be, but they consume my soul

**January 20, 2035, 7:45 AM EST; Blair House, Washington DC**

Jed Bartlet made his way to the rear drawing room, where he had been told breakfast would be served this morning. As he passed the more formal Lee Dining Room, he noticed that the housekeeping staff that was cleaning up after the festivities of the previous night. The crew was listening to a mix of show tunes from the last century and singing along with the music.

Then Jed heard the words that took him back some 70 years and 600 miles.

**St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN; a mid-September Friday night, mid-1960's**

_Some enchanted evening  
You may see a stranger,  
you may see a stranger  
Across a crowded room_

Jed Bartlet noticed her as soon as she came into the gym-converted-into-dance-hall. He knew that she had to be a freshman, because it was a freshmen only mixer for the girls, but something about her said "I am no ordinary little thing who can be swayed by the fact that I've been here for only two weeks and you guys are suave college men".

As Jed neared the girl in the grayish blue sweater and matching skirt, he noticed that several other guys were also bearing down in her direction and he quickened his pace, determined to reach her before them. He knew that his best (if not his only) chance for female companionship would come from the ranks of the incoming freshman class at St. Mary's.

"Excuse me, would you like to dance?" Jed asked with a smile as the girl turned, sensing his presence.

Her light brown hair was styled in the same flip that so many girls wore these days, but her eyes were not as heavily made up as current fashion dictated. In the half-light of the gym, Jed couldn't make a definite decision about her eye color. (And in all the years since that first night in South Bend, he never did. They varied with her clothing and with her mood, from hazel to peridot to emerald, tourmaline, or even Russian diopside.)

"Sure. Why not?"

Her response was given in a slightly amused laugh, so Jed laughed lightly in return and held out his hand. When she wasn't looking, Jed flashed a look of triumph at the other guys who arrived three seconds too late to claim her.

As they danced, they introduced themselves and shared biographic and demographic data. When Jed found out that she was from Rhode Island and had grown up only about 120 miles from him, he knew that he should at all costs avoid the trite comment so many other guys would have made in the same situation, about having to come some 900 miles when she was waiting for him all the time only two hours down the road. Instead, he merely remarked that sometimes it was indeed a small world. When she told him that she was Abbey Barrington from Barrington, Rhode Island, Jed bit back on his tongue, not telling her that he knew it was just coincidence, that he knew that the town was named for a village in England and not for a particular family. But when he off-handedly, almost dismissively, referred to his family's history in New Hampshire and Abbey came back with her connection, via the Eaton's, to the Mayflower, Jed knew that his initial impression of her was correct. Abbey Bartlet might be three years his junior, but she was his equal in many aspects.

Their conversation was varied, mixing observations about growing up Catholic, growing up in New England, with viewpoints about politics, the sense of upcoming change in the church,and the Red Sox. Both were fans of all the Boston professional teams, but disagreed on second and third place. Jed preferred the Bruins to the Celtics whereas Abbey liked the basketball team more than the hockey one. Both of them put the new football team in fourth place, but they agreed that the new American Football League was probably a good thing. Also, they both agreed that college football was more exciting than the pro game.

"And now for the last dance."

Where had the evening gone? Had he really spent more than two hours talking with and dancing with just one girl? That had not been Josiah Edward Bartlet's plan when he came to the mixer.

_And somehow you know,  
You know even then  
That somewhere you'll see her  
Again and again._

As Jed walked Abbey to her dormitory, he began to regret his agreement to work Mark's shift as well as his own tomorrow. He really needed to solidify any chances with Abbey before she heard about what he had very carefully avoided discussing this evening.

A day or a week, one date or no date, what would it matter, Jed reasoned with himself. He would ask and then give her the means for an out if she changed her mind once she talked with the other girls at St. Mary's.

So he explained about his having to work 16 hours the next day and asked her to the game, to dinner, and the dance for the next weekend. He told her his dorm and the phone number there "in case something comes up", wished her a good evening, reached in, and kissed her cheek.

All week, Jed waited. Any moment, he expected to hear the shout from down the hall "Hey, Jed, there's a call for you! Some girl."

Jed first sensed that he was being called to the priesthood when he was fifteen. He had investigated entering the minor seminary after high school, but, for two reasons, he had decided to wait under after he received his undergraduate degree.

One reason was to keep peace at home. For himself, it wouldn't have mattered that much; he was used to the contentious, sometimes abusive relationship between himself and his father. But he didn't want his possible vocation to cause any problems between his mother and his father. Twenty-five years ago, his father was so much in love with his mother that agreeing to raise their children in her religion was an easy concession to make. Apparently, the decision made before going off to fight Hitler had soured over the intervening years.

The second reason was the advice of the young assistant pastor at church. Father Tom told Jed that a decision to become a priest is one that was not to be taken lightly.

Jed had to make sure that he was not looking to Holy Orders as an escape from the impossible situation at home, as a refuge among a band of brothers that would provide what was missing in the headmaster's house and the family farm.

Jed also had to "experience life", had to "make an informed decision about what you would be sacrificing". In a word, Jed should spend four years in college, going to classes, to sporting events, and, yes, dating young women. Should Jed indeed become a priest, half of his flock would be female and a good priest had to know how to relate to them in order to help them. Contrary to what some other priests might say, celibacy was not in itself a higher calling, a purer calling. Tom was not about to go into a long discussion about the reasons why celibacy was imposed on western Latin Rite clergy some one thousand years ago and whether or not the decision should be modified. And when Jed asked him if "informed consent" and "knowing about what he was giving up" meant that the young priest was "giving me permission to break the sixth commandment", Tom just smiled and said that nobody was perfect. Celibacy entailed more than abstention from sex. Tom had been a priest for only a few years, but it was long enough to notice that "my separated brothers of the cloth" seemed to draw solace and support from their wives when the demands of their ministries became overwhelming. "And believe me, Jed, a dog, a cat, even a fellow priest is not the same thing."

Jed's father was not entirely happy with his son's decision to attend Notre Dame, but since Jed wanted to go further afield than New England for college and, for some reason, none of the other schools that fit that requirement (Duke, Princeton, Stanford) had accepted him, the man lived with his son's decision.

So far, Jed had loved, had relished, every minute of his experience in northwestern Indiana. He was well-liked by his fellow students, by his professors, and by the girls he met at St. Mary's and the other schools with whom the Holy Cross fathers had arranged mixers.

However, once the girls found out about his intention to become a priest after graduation, the relationships usually changed. Some of the girls, the ones who were blatantly in college only to find a husband, refused any future dates. Others would accept dates but have no compunction about breaking them if a better offer came along. A third group, girls who were pinned or engaged to boys at other schools or in the military, were glad to be able to have a chance at a social life at school with a "safe" date.

But the phone never rang for Jed and when he went to LeMans Hall the next Saturday with some trepidation ("maybe she didn't even think she had to call") and asked for Abbey at the bell desk, she came into the lobby within two minutes.

**Early November**

_And night after night,  
As strange as it seems  
The sound of her laughter  
Will sing in your dreams._

Apparently, Abigail Barrington was not your typical St. Mary's student. After that first date, she did not make excuses when Jed called her for a second. She never called to tell him "something came up", only to show up at the play, dance, or game with someone else.

Jed found himself looking forward to the weekends, to spending time with Abbey. He found her exciting, intelligent, and funny.

The two of them began to confide in each other. Abbey told him that, like him, she was prepared to sacrifice marriage, if necessary, for her career. A lot of men would have a problem with a wife who wanted such a demanding career ("or any career at all".) Jed told her that she shouldn't make sweeping assumptions. ("You might have heard of my cousin Ezra's wife, Dr. Nora Gillis.") When Abbey said that of course she knew about the famous surgeon and professor at Tufts, but that she didn't know "there was a Mr. Gillis", Jed explained that there wasn't. ("She kept her maiden name professionally. She's Dr. Nora Gillis, but she's also Mrs. Nora Bartlet.") When Abbey told him that she wanted to go somewhere other than St. Mary's, he encouraged her to reach for her dreams, but told her that very good grades at St. Mary's would also get her into a good med school.

December came and so did Christmas break. Jed wrote to Abbey and she responded within four days. He thought about going down to visit her over the holiday, but didn't want to go through the interrogation that would ensue if he asked to borrow the car. So Jed wrote a second letter and received one in return before it was time to return to South Bend.

While he was home, he went to Father Tom, told him he needed to go to confession.

One of the priests at Notre Dame had questioned Jed about his "keeping company" with Abbey. Did Jed realize that the young woman might be "a source of temptation", a "threat to your vocation"?

I thinking about it, Jed had to admit that maybe he was enjoying Abbey's company more than he should. He found himself wanting to hold her closer at dances; he found himself kissing her longer and more deeply.

He found himself thinking about her at night, in bed. He found himself dreaming of her. And after some of those dreams, he found himself aroused; after some of those dreams, he found himself doing something about that arousal.

"Is she an occasion of sin, Father? Should I stop seeing her?"

Father Tom said that while it was possible that Abbey was, to quote some priests, "the work of the devil", it was also possible, indeed, maybe probable, that Abbey was a sign that God did not want Jed to serve His people as a priest. Just perhaps, God had other plans for Josiah Edward Bartlet.

"Continue to pray, but continue to see Abbey."

**Mid-February**

_Who can explain it?  
Who can tell you why?_

Jed walked through the snowy night, not noticing (or not caring) that the moonlight had turned the campus into a winter wonderland.

"Ain't life a bitch?"

The sound of his own voice startled him; he didn't realize he had spoken aloud.

Jed knew he had a big ego; therefore, he knew that ninety percent, no, ninety-six percent of the girls at St. Mary's would have been glad to hear that Jed Bartlet had changed his mind about becoming a priest.

But when he told Abbey of his decision, when he told her that he was fascinated by her, wanted to spend even more time with her, Abbey's face, so beautifully framed by her hair, so beautifully set off by the brilliant red of her gown, turned white with terror. Abbey ran off and left Jed standing in front of LeMans Hall, wondering if he had just made the worst mistake of his life.

**Early April**

_Fools give you reasons,  
Wise men never try_.

"Hey Bartlet! Phone. Some girl."

Jed approached the hall pay phone with resolve tinged with trepidation.

Over the past two months, he had tried to call Abbey twice. Both times, she refused to see him. Finally, he told her he would leave her in peace "for a few weeks".

Since that night when he had bared his soul to her, Jed's heart had been heavy, but he had come to realize that, whatever God's plans were for him, said plans did not include the sacrament of Holy Orders.

He had been accepted at the London School of Economics. Econ was his minor and those few courses, given his grades, were enough for the people in England to give him not only a place in the classroom but a stipend covering tuition and expenses.

He told his parents of his decision about his vocation, or lack thereof. His mother told him that she wanted only his happiness. His father interpreted the decision as another sign of immaturity and went off on a rant about money and responsibility.

Jed had planned to try again to talk with Abbey later in the week; but now, she had called him. Was she calling to take steps toward renewing their relationship or was she calling to tell him that there was someone else?

Five minutes later, Abbey had told him that it was the former and Jed's heart was five times lighter and happier.

"I'd be there in ten minutes if it weren't almost curfew, Abbey," Jed told her. "But, tomorrow evening? Dinner?"

The next night, when Abbey told him that "a friend" had made her see the error of her ways, he told her that he was grateful to "the friend", but didn't push her with any questions. His heart swelled when she told him that she loved him. Seeing the look in her eyes as she realized what she had said, he quickly told her that he loved her too. All he wanted to do was kiss her, over and over, deeper and deeper. As Jed fought to keep his hands from doing any more than graze the side of her breast, he told himself he was glad that she had such an early curfew during the week. Then his body reacted to her closeness and he told himself that maybe he wasn't that glad about the restriction.

Two weeks later, when Abbey called to tell him that she was accepted at Wellesley, Jed was genuinely thrilled for her. In the back of his mind, Jed knew that come September, an ocean would be separating them, but the fact that they would be some 900 miles closer illogically provided some solace.

**Late June; West Barrington, RI**

_Then fly to her side,  
And make her your own_

This was really going to happen. He was naked, on the floor in front of a fire. Abbey was naked on the floor beside him.

Jed had been told "the facts of life" by his father (in cold, clinical terms) when he was twelve. Jed had taken biology in high school. Jed had experienced arousal, both as a result of being with Abbey and as a result of being a teen-aged boy going through puberty. Jed had experienced release (about five times, followed by trips to the confessional.)

But now Jed was about to experience the real thing. His emotional component told him that it was a spur of the moment thing, not a "willful act of sin". His rational component reminded him that he had read all the books, had learned about where to touch, how to touch, and how long to touch and that he wanted this; however, he would deal with any "sin" aspect later.

As Jed rose over Abbey, shifting his legs between hers, she put up a hand.

"Jed, I need to tell you. I did this once before."

At first, Jed's reaction was one of righteousness. How dare she give herself to someone else? But as Jed listened to Abbey's story about some guy from Brown, he could see the fear in her eyes and Jed realized what it must be like for girls. If the books were to be believed, women felt the same drive, the same need, that was overwhelming his body right now. But girls, or, at least "nice girls", were expected to say no, to remain virginal until their wedding night. So he immediately willed himself to be understanding. He even made light of it, saying that at least one of them would know what to do.

He couldn't imagine anything feeling as good as it felt being inside her, being so close to her, feeling her skin on his, feeling her breath on his neck. It was so good, so good, so GOOD!

Somehow, he realized that he really needed to get out before he exploded and somehow, he managed to do so.

Afterward, Jed told Abbey that he would get rubbers "next time". Then he told her how much he loved her and again noticed that there was a small look of fear in her eyes. Somehow, he would have to convince her that his love for her was greater, not lesser, now that they had consummated their relationship.

**Late July; Barrington, RI**

_Some enchanted evening  
When you find your true love,_

Jed sat in the gazebo, waiting for Abbey.

He thought that the hard part would be over by now; he thought that the hard part would be talking to Mr. Barrington.

After making love with Abbey a month ago, Jed had reassured her when she began to worry about sin. However, he had his own concerns and once again sought the counsel of Tom Cavanaugh.

The priest spent a lot of time with Jed, asking a lot of questions. "In the end, Jed, it depends on your intentions. Where do you see this relationship going? God works in His own time. Intimacy before marriage is not always wrong, in spite of what the nuns and brothers might say, but continued intimacy with no intent to marry is."

So Jed had prayed; so Jed invited Abbey to New Hampshire to meet his parents. (Well, it was only his mother's opinion that might possibly reinforce his decision; however, he couldn't introduce Abbey to her without introducing Abbey to his father.)

Then Jed, with his mother's help, picked out a delicate little ring. He took his best suit to the cleaner's, got a barbershop shave and haircut, and arranged to leave work early this day. Jed knew that Abbey would be working this afternoon and would not be home when he came to speak with Abbey's father.

"I love your daughter, sir, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I know that we will have to be apart while I'm in England and she is here, but I want to go to London knowing that we will be married when everything is right. I want her to go to Wellesley knowing that I want her in my life forever."

"My daughter has dreams, Jed. She wants to be a doctor."

"And I want those dreams for her. Hopefully, by the time she's out of Wellesley, in three years, I'll be back from London. I can look for a teaching job wherever she gets into med school. Or a banking job, if necessary.

"Eventually, there will be some money. My father's older brother manages the Bartlet trust for all of us. The great-great grandfathers decided that we should have to prove ourselves first, so very little is distributed to us before the age of forty. However, my paternal grandmother did have some money in her own right, and there will be a smaller trust fund which I may access when I'm twenty-five."

"Which would be when Abbey finishes at Wellesley," Mr. Barrington smiled. "So, yes, to the extent that my will counts in this matter, you may ask her now, and marry her in three years. But the final decision, the final timing, is up to Abbey."

The man stood up, extended his hand to Jed, and directed him to the garden.

"I think I heard Abbey come home a few minutes ago. I'd like to talk to her first. I'll send her out to you."

Jed heard the bang of a screen door and looked up. Abbey was coming toward him. She was wearing a red and white dotted-swiss dress and little red shoes. Her hair was tied at the nape of her neck with a red ribbon.

When Abbey saw Jed standing in the gazebo, Abbey smiled and her gait speeded up slightly.

_Once you have found her,  
Never let her go.  
Once you have found her,  
Never let her go! _

Abbey's parents were on the screened-in back porch, arm in arm. They watched as their daughter reached the young man. They watched as the two young people kissed. Then they saw the young man lean back in order to look into their daughter's eyes. They saw Jed go down on one knee and reach into the inside breast pocket of his suit coat. They watched as Abbey's head moved up and down and as Jed put a ring on their daughter's left hand. They watched as Jed stood and pulled Abbey into his arms. They watched the kiss that seemed to go on forever and ever. They watched as Jed pulled the ribbon from her hair and buried his hands in the curls the way Abbey's father suddenly wanted to bury himself inside his daughter's mother. The two of them left the young people to the gazebo and walked into the house, up the stairs, and into their bedroom.

**January 20, 2035, 7:52 AM EST; Blair House, Washington DC**

"Good morning, Jed. I think it's going to be a beautiful day for an inauguration."

Jed turned and saw Matt Santos, looking distinguished with iron grey hair, a moustache, and goatee, coming toward him.

In turn, Matt thought that Jed Bartlet's eyes looked incredibly blue now that the man's hair had turned completely snow-white.

"I think you're right. Wonderful weather for a wonderful day."

The two men turned and saw Sam Seaborn already in the drawing room.

Before either Jed or Matt could reply to the statement, a uniformed butler approached them.

"Good morning, President Bartlet, President Santos, President Seaborn. If you all would be seated, we'll begin serving you breakfast."

"The three of you are all presidents? My husband was also a president."

Jed saw only the briefest glint of pain in Sam's eyes.

"That's nice," Sam said to the woman who had followed him to Washington in 2007, back to California in 2009, back to Washington in 2019, and finally back to California at the end of Sam's second term in the White House. "Would you like some breakfast this morning, Morgan?"

Jed thought it remarkable that although Morgan's hair was now streaked with silver, her face was as smooth and unwrinkled as it was when she had first been introduced to the Bartlet group twenty-eight years ago. But her eyes, once brilliant and bright with love for her husband, were now dulled by the insidiousness of Alzheimer's.

Sam's hair was also tinged with gray, and was completely gray at the temples. His eyes were still bright, but his face showed the strain of watching his beloved wife slip into the long good-bye.

"Why, thank you. You seem to be a very nice man. What's your name?"

He may not have thought so at the beginning of the century, but now Jed Bartlet considered Sam Seaborn a saint.

"I'm Sam. Shall we sit? Gentlemen?" Sam indicated that Matt and Jed should also go to the table.

Right before Jed reached his place, he heard the steady sound of water hitting the Oriental rug beneath their feet. Morgan Seaborn was completely oblivious to the fact that she was urinating as she walked with the husband she didn't know.

Once of the female wait staff quickly approached the couple.

"I'll take her upstairs, President Seaborn, and help her to change."

"No, I'll do it," Sam said. "If she has a clear moment, if she realizes what happened, she would be so mortified. It would be better if it were just me. But sometimes she goes deeper into - ," Sam sighed and his shoulders fell. "If it comes to that, would someone be able to stay with her? If it seems best for her not to go with me to the Capitol?"

"Of course, sir."

"And I am so sorry about the mess."

"Please, President Seaborn, don't give it a second thought."

As Jed and Matt watched Sam lovingly escort his wife toward the stairs, the older man turned toward the younger.

"When I see that, I wonder if God was good to me, seven years ago. I think my way was better."

_Or all through your life you  
May dream all alone._

Seven years ago. A snowy early November afternoon in New Hampshire. Abbey had an afternoon lunch in Manchester with the Democratic Women's Caucus. She came into the family room and kissed him. He had absent-mindedly kissed her in return, making sure that he didn't miss any of the Notre Dame-Navy game.

"Love you," Abbey said as she reached the door.

"Me, too."

They told him that it was quick, that the semi that swerved in front of her car blew up on impact and that Abbey and the two agents with her didn't suffer.

Everyone came to Manchester for the funeral – CJ and Danny, Toby and Andy, Josh and Donna – all the others.

And of course his children, their children, even his great-granddaughter. Liz; Ellie and Vic; Zoey and Charlie; the grandkids; Annie's partner and their daughter; Gus' fiancée; all were there to honor Abigail Barrington Bartlet.

He had spent that week in a total daze. It wasn't supposed to happen that way. He was supposed to go first; she was supposed to be there to hold, to help, to love (but not to put a syringe in the night table.) Now, when the end did come, he would have to face it alone.

"Fast or slow. Without warning or with plenty of warning," Matt mused. "Neither way is better, Jed. They're just different."

It was April 2016 and Matt had been out of the White House for a little over a year. He and Helen had taken several months to decompress and then began their work with "Road to a Better World". However, they were delaying any move to California for a while and kept the house in Houston as well as renting a condo in San Luis Obispo.

Helen was supposed to go with him to the meeting of the Santos Library Commission but she felt a little under the weather ("Matt, I just might be pregnant again, I need to get a test.") and decided to stay home. He left her in bed, trying to decide between watching "The View" and a "Little House on the Prairie" rerun.

He found her there five hours later, the remote still in her cold, stiffening hand.

The autopsy revealed a heart defect that had been there since birth. "Just waiting to happen," the doctor told him. Yes, by all means, have Peter, Miranda, and Rachel tested.

The autopsy also revealed that Helen was indeed five weeks' pregnant.

Three years later, Matt had found happiness again, with a widow he met in conjunction with his work with Franklin Hollis. They had been happily married for eleven years, until they found the lump in her breast. After the first surgery, the doctors were encouraging, but within the year, it returned with a vengeance. Eight months later, Matthew Santos was two times a widower.

"Neither way is better, Jed," Matt repeated, "just different."

Then Matt Santos pushed Jed Bartlet's wheelchair to the table where breakfast was being served.

**12:10 PM; the Capitol Building**

"I can't believe how many of the old gang came back for this," Jed said softly as he looked around the crowd gathered for the ceremony.

"Well, of course they would. It's a momentous occasion," Matt said. "Back in the day, did you have any idea?"

"No, not a hint. How about you?"

"Well, not at the beginning, of course, but by the end of my second term, there were signs. I wonder if Sam knew."

The two men looked to the end of the row, where Sam was sitting with his arm around his wife, patiently answering her repetitive questions.

"Can you imagine, if Abbey and Helen were here, how they would feel?" Matt asked.

"Yes, I can, but, look, it's about to happen."

The two men watched as the newest member of their special club put a left hand on a bible and raised a right hand.

"I, Donnatella Moss Lyman, do solemnly swear, that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

_And somehow you know,  
You know even then  
That someday you'll see her  
Again and again._


End file.
